How to style striped polo shirts

Striped polo shirts are a wardrobe regular that work for most of the year. This guide covers a short history, the main stripe types you'll come across, and a few straightforward ways to style one.

A short history of the striped polo

The pique polo shirt dates back to the 1920s, when tennis player René Lacoste designed a soft-collared, short-sleeved shirt to replace the stiff, long-sleeved shirts players wore before him. Stripes came into the picture through sport and sailing, where bold horizontal bands made it easy to spot a teammate or a swimmer in open water, and the look carried over into casual menswear from there. Ralph Lauren later helped push the striped polo into mainstream American style through the 1970s and 80s, and it has stayed a wardrobe basic since.

Types of stripes you'll see on a polo

• Breton stripe: even, bold bands, usually navy and white or a similar high-contrast pair. Originally a French naval and workwear stripe, now a casualwear staple.
• Pinstripe: fine, narrow lines set close together, borrowed from tailoring. Reads as the most subtle of the three and suits a smart-casual outfit.
• Block stripe: wide bands of colour, often vertical rather than horizontal. Bolder and sportier, and the pattern you'll see on our contrasting vertical striped mandarin polo.

How to style a striped polo

1. Balance with solid colours: pair a striped polo with plain chinos or jeans so the shirt stays the focal point. The vertical striped sports polo shirt works well against dark denim.
2. Layer it: a striped polo under a solid blazer or lightweight jacket reads as smart-casual rather than sporty. Try it under a navy blazer for something closer to business casual.
3. Keep accessories minimal: a plain leather belt, a simple watch, sunglasses. Stripes carry the outfit on their own.
4. Mix your stripe widths carefully: a fine pinstripe polo pairs easily with other patterns nearby; a bold block stripe generally doesn't want competition from a second pattern.
5. Get the fit right: shoulder seams should sit on your shoulders, not down your arms, and the body should skim rather than balloon. A boxy fit reads sloppier in a striped polo than in a plain one, since the lines exaggerate it.

Shop striped polos at Legacy London

See the current range in the men's polo shirt collection, or the wider knitted polo range for warm-weather styles beyond stripes.